Aircraft speed enforcement grounded by high cost

Despite those interstate signs warning “Speed limit enforced by aircraft,” Virginia’s airborne traffic cops have been parked at the hangar for more than a year, according to figures from the State Police.

The aircraft enforcement program that launched with much fanfare in 2000 after a fatal crash on I-81 was quietly ended because it cost more than it was worth, officials tell The Daily Progress.

Only 20 tickets were written based on aerial speed measurement in the past four years – none in the past year, the paper reports.

Police in other states report similar concerns about the price tag for airplane-based speed enforcement. New York and Alabama, for instance, have not issued air-based speeding tickets for years, although they still have the planes.